The next is also a two A4 page invoice, this time from Tim D N Kenward of 7 Harrington Street Chambers. It was dated 19th April 2013 and Wirral Council is the defendant in the case of Gregory Eyitene v Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council. It is for £900 and relates to 19 pages of written advice and an amended draft letter (3 pages) that took 6 hours.

It also relates to a previously paid invoice of £1875.00 for an 18 pages submission on grounds of appeal, plus advice by telephone, email, perusal of documentation with regards to disciplinary proceedings.

This totals to £750 (£125/hour * 6) + VAT of £150 = £900. Colin Hughes was the solicitor at Wirral Council that dealt with this matter and the file reference is CJH/LHRAM/25270.

This is also a two A4 page invoice of Tim D N Kenward of 7 Harrington Street Chambers. It was dated 19th June 2013 and Wirral Council is the defendant in the case of Gregory Eyitene v Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council. It is for £3,660.00.

This is an invoice from Jonathan Manning of Arden Chambers for £1,800 dated 26th July 2013. This is for 6 hours of advice given on the 8th March 2013 @ £250/hour (+VAT) in a “Determination of Employment” matter involving Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council. The blacked out bit of the line after DX 33016 is “CARDIFF”.

This is an invoice from Jonathan Manning of Arden Chambers for £1,800 dated 26th July 2013. This is for 6 hours of advice given on the 8th March 2013 @ £250/hour (+VAT) in a “Determination of Employment” matter involving Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council.

This is an interim invoice for £1,598.40 (including VAT) from Wilkin Chapman LLP. It was dated 16th October 2013 and is for advice to Wirral Council’s Monitoring Officer in August 2013.

Charges
It includes £1,190 (+VAT £238.00) total £1,428.00

Expenses
It includes an amount of £11.60 (+VAT of £2.30) total £13.80 for subsistence.
It also includes expenses for £130.50 (+VAT of £26.10) total £156.60. However the reason for this £156.60 is blacked out.

This is an invoice for £607.50 from Ruth Stockley of Kings Chamber for email advice (2.25 hours). She charges £225/hour (+VAT). The invoice dated 19th November 2013 and it’s to do with a planning case.

Responses

Mr Brace with respect if you are trying to say something in your blogs, then please come out and say it.

By: stephenharper on 28th November 2014 at 5:47 pm

Well, that Wirral Council is not complying with s.15 of the Audit Commission Act 1998 as when documents are requested at audit it obliterates the names of its officers (allowed), but also the names of its contractors and other information relating to the invoice. It seems they don’t seem to know the difference between names of its own staff and outside contractors.

It gives no (or little) explanation as to why. Also when documents are requested (in July 2014) in some cases I’m still waiting in November 2014!!!

Mr Brace, I can see where your coming from, however, you have to take the Law as a Whole, not pick little bits out. For Instance, you have a number of other Statutes, that say deal with Audit, Procurement, Governance and redaction is not an option, in fact if you keep the Original or Certified Copies
of Documents that is even better. I am quite surprised that nobody has put in an FOI request to the DCLG for unredacted papers

By: stephenharper on 28th November 2014 at 9:27 pm

Yes there is a balancing act to be struck, but the whole point of the law is that it provides a bar below which people should not go, otherwise there are consequences (whether financial or in people’s liberty). Without consequences there is no deterrent.

Because as soon as you start asking questions in Bigger Circles, those people will want to know why you are asking them, rather than going to the initial Source or the Small Pond. If your intention was to warn me how much they have spent on trying to Destroy a Possible Staff Member’s reputation. I can tell you they have spent a Lot more money on me already and they have not finished spending out yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: stephenharper on 29th November 2014 at 1:27 pm

The former member of staff referred to in the invoices was one of the solicitors working for Wirral Council.

If there’s one category (amongst many) you try and treat right to avoid a lawsuit, it’s solicitors as they are far more likely to sue and also know what their legal rights are.

I was unsure in which catagory, this one or the one below, but as this is the Advice Page, I thought why not put it in this one ” Makes Sense ” Has anybody considered a Book on ” Protection of Children ” or read the Clothier Report (Beverley Allitt)?

By: stephenharper on 30th November 2014 at 4:29 pm

It’s what happens in practice rather than in books that is more important in protecting children.